


This Weapon is Your Life

by WingletBlackbird



Series: Jedi History, Organisation, and Culture [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Archived From Tumblr, Gen, Jedi Culture, Meta, Meta Essay, Nonfiction, Samurai, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 06:19:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17719742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WingletBlackbird/pseuds/WingletBlackbird
Summary: An apologetic's perspective of Obi-Wan's oft-quoted "This weapon is your life." That phrase is actually pretty neat.





	This Weapon is Your Life

“This weapon is your life,” is a statement that, I believe, gets a lot of unwarranted criticism and is frequently misunderstood, particularly amongst the Western, Star Wars fandom. The general opinion that I have found on the subject is that it indicates that the Jedi are teaching people to think of themselves as weapons, and/or that it shows hypocrisy as Jedi are supposed to discourage “possession,” and/or that saying a  _weapon_  is your  _life_ , encourages or advocates violence. I am here as an apologist for that phrase, because for the reasons indicated below, I think that that phrase is awesome.

What one must first understand is that George Lucas took a lot of inspiration for Star Wars from eastern sources, Japan in particular. Darth Vader’s mask was based upon the Samurai mask, C-3P0 and R2-D2 were inspired by a Japanese movie told from the perspective of two slaves who are caught up in the conflict going around them, and the Sith and the Jedi were inspired by the notion of rival Samurai clans. As such, I feel the lightsabre, its value, its treatment, and its symbolism come from Bushido, the Samurai code, and the katana.

What one must first understand about this is that the Samurai sword, the katana, was considered representative of the Samurai’s soul, so sacred that a Samurai should never be parted from it. Sound familiar? When these blades were made, the smiths would stay up three days and three nights to get the perfect metallic composition, were expected to pray over it and place their very spirit into it, and often had the beginning of the process blessed by a priest. By the time the blade was finished, it was to be beyond a mere sword but the spiritual form brought into physical art. This is similar to how the Jedi view their weapons. They go into a deep meditation for days, in Anakin’s case three days and three nights, and during this time, they construct their lightsabres. They imbue the crystals that make up the blade with their own connection to the Force, and they don’t know how it will manifest until they have completed the construction. Thus, the lightsabre becomes a representation of their very presence in the Force made manifest in the physical realm. (Curiously, Vader’s blade looks just like Anakin’s only black….I’m sure this is significant.) It was said you could know the Jedi from his lightsabre.

As a consequence of this belief, it was the heights of dishonor and the highest insult to disrespect a Samurai’s sword or a Jedi’s sabre. Furthermore, to place one’s sword/sabre into another’s hands was to afford them a great honor as you were placing your “soul” into their care. This sheds a lot of light on why Anakin placing his sabre in Padme’s hands was so profound. Moreover, exchanging lightsabres amongst Jedi was called the “concordance of fealty,” and represented a serious commitment between two individuals because of this. A Jedi, or a Samurai, was, put bluntly, never to be seen without his sword within hands reach, even at so young an age as five. This can be observed in how the Jedi encouraged their Padawans, to wear their sabre at all times. Furthermore, in the same way that only Samurai were allowed to wear katana, only Jedi were supposed to wield a lightsabre. In both cases it symbolized their position of authority and demanded respect.

However, with respect and power comes responsibility. The Samurai’s sword also represented his dedication to Bushido which is the “Way of the Warrior.” In GFFA, this is the Jedi Code. Bushido was based in Buddhism and represented  _non-violence_. It meant that those who wielded the katana should only draw it when absolutely necessary. It meant that they were expected to be honorable, disciplined, obedient, wise…as are the Jedi. The Jedi were taught that they should only draw a lightsabre when necessary, and if they must draw it they must be prepared for the consequences. They were taught that, as a Jedi, they should be responsible for their actions, aware of the consequences, humble and obedient. Indeed, the word Samurai, representing the warrior class, comes from the verb “to serve.” The Jedi frequently say “we come to serve.” The lightsabre/katana symbolizes this very way of life. Ergo, it was their life. They had imbued these blades with the very essence of themselves and their commitments/beliefs and it was  _intensely personal_. 

Now, taking all of this into context, let’s look at AotC. (”Next time try not to lose it. This weapon is your life!”) Anakin has drawn his lightsabre quickly and arguably foolishly. As a result, he has lost his weapon. Already in doing so he has shown his disrespect for the Jedi way. However, more than that, and more significantly, he is doing so out of a desire to impress Padme. He is doing it for selfish gain and ambition. His heart is not in the Jedi way, so losing his sword is very symbolic. When Obi-Wan looks at him and says “try not to lose it,” he’s reminding Anakin of his purpose and his oath. He’s saying not to neglect his responsibilities, not to disrespect the code, to be  _non-violent_ , and to be selfless. Anakin doesn’t want to hear it and grabs his lightsabre in a frustrated manner. He isn’t listening. He’s treating his very soul, his essence, the light side even, with contempt. (The Jedi Code too, and note, the Code in and of itself isn’t the issue, it’s the council’s unfortunate understanding of it, which we’ve all commented on…So, no, not good at all.)Thus, Anakin foreshadows his own fall.

As someone who was raised in Japanese schools from grade one to grade seven, and is fluent in Japanese as a result, I must confess that moment hit me hard and I found it quite profound. Don’t disrespect the sword! There’s rather a lot of subtext there.

Incidentally, swords were often passed down one generation to another and something of the previous owner’s spirit was said to go with it. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the Jedi passed down hilts, and/or crystals, (the best sabres had three after all), down from Master to Padawan to create a legacy that you carried reverently in your hand. Therefore, when Obi-Wan gives Luke his father’s lightsabre, he carries that tradition forward in the hope that as Luke wields it, and wields the Force through it, some of his father’s skill, talent, and essence, before he fell, may pass onto the son on some level. The sword is sacred.

(This also explains why Obi-Wan thinks blasters are “uncivlised” and “clumsy.” They can be mass produced; they aren’t hand-made; they aren’t sacred; they don’t connect you to a higher realm, a greater world, a better understanding. They signify nothing, are attached to no Code. When you hold a blaster, if you are Obi-Wan at least, you feel no connection to anything but mindless violence.)

(And, of course, from a practical stand point, losing your sword in a dangerous environment is also a surefire way to get yourself killed…)


End file.
